Chapter 84: The feeling of being neither close nor distant?
That night, with Wei You's death, the space where Si Yao and Li Ye were became much quieter.
They spent a peaceful yet passionate night, and when the sky began to lighten the next day, Si Yao felt like her bones were about to fall apart.
She couldn't help but admire Li Ye's stamina. Fortunately, she was a cultivator; otherwise, she wouldn't even have the strength to get up today.
At dawn, Li Ye had already put on his undergarments and stood in the woods not far away.
At this moment, Si Yao was still sitting on his clothes.
The scenes from last night still lingered in her mind, and Si Yao continued to savor that wonderful feeling.
A gentle morning breeze ruffled the hair on Si Yao's forehead. She smoothed it down lightly and then dressed herself.
After tying her belt, she lowered her eyes, reached out and carefully folded Li Ye's clothes on the grass, then held them in her arms.
She took a deep breath and noticed that the clothes still carried the scent of their passionate encounter the night before.
The taste was indeed a bit ambiguous...
Si Yao got up, holding Li Ye's clothes, and stepped on the ground piled with fallen leaves in the forest, making a crunching sound, just like her heart beating up and down.
She didn't know what to feel, but as she gazed at Li Ye's tall and slender figure not far away, her heart kept fluttering.
Finally, Si Yao came to Li Ye's side, her face slightly flushed, and her voice much softer, "Your clothes..."
Upon hearing Si Yao's voice, Li Ye did not look at her. In fact, he had already sensed her approach, but he avoided her gaze.
Looking back on last night, he did lose control a bit, acting so unrestrainedly, and he wondered if Si Yao would have any thoughts about it.
Does she think that he acted that way last night because he was truly in love?
Without thinking further, Li Ye put his clothes back on, and his earlobes glowed slightly red in the sunlight.
The atmosphere between the two was somewhat awkward, especially since they had been very intimate last night. Now that they had woken up, neither of them knew how to interact with the other.
They didn't seem like a couple deeply in love, but they did have things that couples would do.
Afterwards, unlike their previous relationship as a couple, they didn't continue their sweet talk and affectionate interactions. Instead, they returned to normal, as if nothing had ever happened.
But precisely because of this, their hearts were like being crawled by thousands of ants, making them restless and feeling a sense of being neither close nor distant from each other.
They are right in front of each other, always together, yet the distance between them is always vast.
They didn't want to break through this barrier, yet it was precisely because of this barrier that all sorts of strange emotions constantly arose: sometimes excitement, sometimes joy, sometimes bitterness, and sometimes disappointment...
This feeling can sometimes be so intense that it's hard to breathe.
Si Yao understood perfectly well that both of them had clearly stated before that their dual cultivation was an agreement, and that this almost ambiguous relationship would end after Li Ye's primordial spirit was completely transferred back to its rightful place.
Their relationship resembled a partnership, but it was also mixed with many complex emotions.
These complex emotions made Si Yao take a deep breath.
She couldn't help but wonder if her recent strange feelings were...
Thinking of this, Si Yao looked up at Li Ye and found that he was also looking at her intently.
As their eyes met, they both spoke at the same time, "You..."
However, Li Ye remained silent after that, indicating that Si Yao should speak first.
Si Yao then asked, "How are you feeling?"
She was naturally asking about Li Ye's primordial spirit.
Li Ye's expression became slightly dazed, as if he thought Si Yao would ask him something else. After that dazed look disappeared in an instant, he slowly spoke: "It has some effect. Perhaps it is really as recorded in my ancient scroll of the Demon Realm. There are still four more times, and I will be able to recover completely."
When he mentioned "four times," he inexplicably cleared his throat and avoided Si Yao's gaze.
Compared to his former arrogant demeanor, he now resembled a bewildered and clueless young man.
He frowned, sighing that this might not be a good thing, as if Si Yao had some leverage over him.
Si Yao's ears were still burning hot, but she smiled and nodded, "Alright, I look forward to that day."
As soon as he finished speaking, a hint of melancholy crossed Li Ye's brow.
Si Yao didn't notice it carefully. She looked around and thought, "The restrictions on this space right now..."
She could sense that her cultivation level was still suppressed to the Foundation Establishment stage.
Li Ye raised his hand, then flipped it over, and a black and red light suddenly appeared in his hand.
He has now recovered one-fifth of his primordial spirit power, and using magic, he quickly broke the array in this space.
Of course, six hours have passed since Wei You's death, and the fact that the formation was broken may also be related to this.
With the formation removed, Si Yao and Li Ye quickly returned to the place where they had initially settled in the Fog City Forest, and Si Yao's cultivation level had also recovered to the Golden Core stage.
In addition, thanks to the dual cultivation last night, her cultivation level has improved a bit more.
She couldn't help but glance at Li Ye. Hmm, this dual cultivation partner is indeed quite good...
While I was still lost in thought, I heard a noise behind me.
"Junior Brother Xiao Yezi!"
That was Xiao Zhaoshui's voice from Tianchen Island. Si Yao and Li Ye turned around and saw Xiao Zhaoshui running over, her body covered in dirt and her face filthy.
She looked somewhat disheveled, but the moment she saw Li Ye, Xiao Zhaoshui's eyes lit up.
She excitedly approached Li Ye, and after a moment, she realized what was happening and bowed to Si Yao, saying, "Elder Si Yao."
Si Yao responded to Xiao Zhaoshui with her eyes, sizing her up. "It seems you encountered a lot of trouble before. Were you injured?"
Xiao Zhaoshui shook his head. "I wasn't injured, but I did fight a few low-level demons. Unfortunately, I couldn't capture them alive, and they escaped."
Upon hearing the words "Demon Clan," Li Ye frowned slightly.
"Junior Brother Xiao Yezi..." Xiao Zhaoshui said, then quickly added, "And Elder Si Yao, are you both alright?"
"It's alright," Si Yao replied.
Xiao Zhaoshui's gaze fell on Li Ye, but Li Ye did not give any response and completely ignored her.
This made Xiao Zhaoshui lower her head, clutching the hem of her clothes with both hands. She bit her lip, feeling a sense of loss.
"Failed to capture them alive? We've made some gains on our side, though!"
A moment later, a sharp sound rang out.
Si Yao recognized the voice as Song Yuening's.
Not far away, Song Yuening walked over, her face beaming with undisguised smugness, followed by Jiang Cifeng, who remained calm.
Upon seeing the master and disciple, Si Yao couldn't help but frown.
"Gains?" Xiao Zhaoshui was not in a good mood at the moment, and mechanically asked, "What were Senior Sister Song's gains?"
Song Yuening raised her chin and said, "Just now, my master and I encountered several demons. Before they died by my master's sword, my master used the Soul Searching Technique to learn about their acts of wreaking havoc."
Upon hearing this, Si Yao subconsciously looked at Li Ye. Several demons had died at Jiang Cifeng's hands. Facing the death of his former kin, she wondered what Li Ye was thinking at this moment.
However, Si Yao was probably overthinking it. Li Ye asked casually, "I hope Senior Sister Song can provide more details."
Song Yuening closed her eyes slightly. She had never had a good impression of the people from the Hehuan Sect, especially since she had been defeated by Li Ye on Tianchen Island.
But the address of "Senior Sister Song" made her attitude less harsh; in fact, she became much more restrained than before. "This time, the demons will periodically stir up trouble in the territories of the five major sects in order to provoke a struggle between the five major sects and the demons. In short, the demons have been preparing for a thousand years, probably intending to make a comeback and crush our human realm."
"That's all?" Li Ye's tone carried a hint of skepticism.
Song Yuening crossed her arms. "Otherwise what? The Demon Clan has long wanted to unify the Three Realms, so what's so strange about them making such a plan now?"
Li Ye didn't answer, and Song Yuening snorted again, "However, they underestimate us too much. It's not that simple to conquer the human realm!"
After speaking, her gaze fell on Jiang Cifeng behind her, her eyes filled with awe and admiration.
Under the lush ancient trees, Si Yao listened to Song Yuening's words and yawned in boredom. Just as she was about to find a quiet place to meditate, she felt Jiang Cifeng's gaze fall upon her.
Immediately afterward, Jiang Cifeng asked, "Elder Siyao, after you and my master parted ways abruptly yesterday, did you encounter any danger?"
Si Yao hissed, feeling that Jiang Cifeng was a bit strange. Normally, with his aloof and cold personality, why would he ask her if she had encountered any danger?
In addition, Song Yuening, who was standing next to Jiang Cifeng, also looked surprised. Then she murmured, "How could there be any danger? If there were danger, she wouldn't be standing here unharmed. Master, please don't meddle in other people's business and worry unnecessarily."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Cifeng frowned slightly, "Don't talk nonsense."
Song Yuening hesitated, but Si Yao laughed out loud, "A hasty separation? In that situation, if it weren't for your disciple's doing, how could I have parted ways with you so hastily?"
Si Yao wasn't stupid. Yesterday, when she was traveling with Jiang Cifeng and his apprentice in the space, the ground cracked. Although Si Yao's feet were unsteady, it shouldn't have caused her to get separated from Jiang Cifeng and his apprentice.
Upon hearing Si Yao's words, Song Yuening immediately denied them, "Elder Si Yao, don't make false accusations. You were in that mysterious space, and your cultivation was suppressed to the Foundation Establishment stage. It was your own weakness that caused you to fall into another space. Why are you blaming me now?"
Si Yao stretched, her eyes disdainful, and her tone lazy, "If that Bagua-shaped magic weapon you summoned back then hadn't caught me off guard and suddenly unleashed a powerful burst of energy at me, I wouldn't have fallen into another space at all."
"I used my magical artifact to defend myself, not to deal with you," Song Yuening argued repeatedly. "Elder Si Yao wouldn't be trying to pin this on me just because she doesn't like me, would she?"
She stepped forward again, full of confidence, "I know that our Wind Sword Sect and your Joyful Union Sect have some grudges, but you don't need to use this to attack me. I'm not happy about being smeared like this!"
At this point, she looked at Jiang Cifeng with a pitiful expression and pleaded, "Master, you must do justice for your disciple!"
Jiang Cifeng's face was cold as he shouted, "Kneel down!"
"Huh?" Song Yuening was shocked, completely unaware of why her master suddenly made her kneel down.
A hint of displeasure appeared on Jiang Cifeng's usually calm face. "You've committed a grave mistake and you still want to cover it up? Hurry up and apologize to Elder Siyao!"
"What?" Song Yuening's lips trembled; she simply couldn't believe her ears.
"Aren't you going to apologize right now? Do I have to say it again?" Jiang Cifeng was clearly getting angry.
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